Sliding Fours
by HarmonyPie714
Summary: Picks up the story during Power of Six, when John has gone to meet Sarah in Paradise. Only this time, Six walks in on them fighting. John is forced to choose between the two girls, and it is a choice that will have great impacts on both his life and the war. In the style of the movie 'Sliding Doors', the consequences of his choice will be explored in parallel. Rated for safety.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I am not Pittacus Lore. So I own nothing.**

A/N: So I know I should be working on Destiny of Ten, but this plot bunny jumped into my head a little while ago and flatly refused to leave. This prologue shows what happens leading up to John's choice, and ends just before he makes it. Everything in italics is taken from the book.

I_ don't know where it comes from, but Sarah leans away from me and says, "Six is very pretty."_

"_She is," I agree. I shouldn't have, but it just fell out of my mouth. "Not as pretty as you, though. You're the prettiest girl I know. You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen."_

"_But you don't have to stay away from Six like you have to with me."_

"_When we go on walks we have to be invisible, Sarah! It's not like we can just hold hands and walk down the street. We have to hide from the entire world. I'm hiding just as much when I'm with her as when I am with you."_

_Sarah shoots off of the bench and turns around. "You go on walks with her? Do you hold her hand when you two walk down the street?"_

_I stand up and approach her with my arms out, the sleeves of my coat still caked with dirt. "We have to. It's the only way I can be invisible."_

"_Have you kissed her?"_

"_What?"_

"_Answer me." There's something new in her voice. It's a mixture of jealousy and loneliness, and enough anger to give each word a kick._

_I shake my head. "Sarah, I love you. I don't really know what else to say. I mean, nothing's happened." _

_A tsunami of discomfort crashes into me, and I rifle through my vocabulary to piece together the right words. _

_She's furious. "It was a simple question, John. Have you kissed her?"_

I open my mouth to answer that of course we haven't kissed, that I don't even _want _to kiss Six, that I love Sarah and will forever, but I'm interrupted by none other than Six herself. She's with Sam, who's carrying my Chest, and they look very eager to leave.

"Come on John, let's go," Six says as she approaches. "They're hot on our trail- we don't have much— oh!" She lets out a gasp of surprise, having seen Sarah for the first time. Sam leans over and whispers something in Six's ear- she nods, and then gives a slight grimace.

"I didn't realize I was interrupting something," Six says, a sudden chill in her voice. "But as nice as this little reunion is, we really have to get going. Now."

A cannon blast sounds in the distance, emphasizing her point. But I don't move. I'm frozen to the spot, wanting to go with Six, but at the same time unable to leave Sarah's side.

"Nice to see you too, Six," Sarah says, breaking the silence. Her phone buzzes in her pocket but she ignores it. She walks straight towards Six, lifts her chin, and glares her in the eye.

Six doesn't back down, but regards Sarah as if she were some sort of mildly interesting insect.

"You can leave now," Sarah says. "John doesn't need you anymore."

"That's funny," Six says, "because that's exactly what I was going to say to you. As a matter of fact, John does need me. And I need John. Because we have a war to fight, and neither one of us can do it alone."

Sarah scowls. "I need him too!" she demands. "He's in love with me and we're meant to be together, and there's no way I'm letting you stand in our way."

Six bites her lip and I can tell she's trying to stop herself from punching Sarah. Sam seems to notice it as well- he drops my Chest and puts himself between the two of them, keeping them apart.

"Everybody just calm down," he says. "We can settle this lat—"

He's cut off abruptly by an explosion just to our left. I can feel the heat of it, but thankfully it wasn't close enough to do any damage. A scout staggers out of the bushes behind us, carrying a cannon that he's in the process of reloading. Six takes three quick steps towards him and decks him in the jaw, sending him reeling backwards. She follows up with a quick punch to his gut and then a chop to his windpipe that turns him to ash. I'm just glad she found somebody besides Sarah to take her anger out on.

"See what I mean?" Six demands, her arms coated with ash. "How could you be so selfish as to take John away from this? This is the very reason he's even on this planet in the first place!"

"You know what?" Sarah says angrily. "I'm sick of listening to your pathetic reasoning and excuses. You just want John for yourself. And you know what? So do I. So why don't we let him decide, then. John either stays with me, or he goes with you. His choice. Either way, you can get out of here quickly, so your petty little war doesn't get interrupted."

"Fine," Six spits angrily. She walks over to Sarah, and joins her in looking at me. They both look deadly serious, and it's only Sam that keeps them from going at each other. "Make the right decision, John. You're here for a purpose. If you stay with her, you're abandoning your mission."

"You promised you'd never leave me, John," Six says. "Don't break that promise now."

I'm torn. Do I continue to fulfill the purpose of my mission, or do I follow my heart? And for that matter, which way does my heart even lean anymore? I look up at Sam, hoping he'll offer some guidance, but he just shrugs.

"I'll be with you either way, John," he says. "You know that."

"Come on," Sarah says impatiently. "It's me or her. If you really love me this shouldn't be a difficult decision."

"Please, John," Six begs. "I need your help to find the others."

"All right, all right," I finally say. I can't stall much longer. I have to make a decision now.

"I choose…"


	2. Aftermath

**A/N: And here we are, with the first chapter. So here's how this works. The first half of this is the Sarah timeline, where John chooses Sarah. The second half is the Six timeline, where John chooses Six. They both cover the same timespan, but things unfold differently. I'm curious to know what you guys think, so please leave me a review.**

"…Sarah."

Of course I chose Sarah. I had to choose Sarah- it was the only choice I could make. I know I was in love with her, and Loric love is permanent, so therefore I still love her. And if I love her, then I can't leave her, right?

So then why do I feel so guilty? I don't owe Six anything- I mean sure, I liked our walks in Florida, and yea, maybe there was a moment there where I wanted to kiss her, but it was just a silly crush. It had to have been. Because Loric love is permanent. Isn't it?

"Have you lost your mind?" Six screams, bringing me back from my thoughts. "Did she perform a freaking lobotomy on you? Have you completely forgotten our mission? Are you just going to sit there and let me try to save our planet by myself? Are you? Answer me!"

She raises her hands to the sky and a crackling streak of lightning touches the ground just a hundred yards from me. I back away slowly, hoping she isn't so mad that she'll attack me.

"Six!" Sam says. "Calm down!"

He grabs her shoulder, but she twists out of his grip and glares at him, smoking with rage.

"I will not calm down! Not while that idiot is abandoning me for her! And you!" she says, addressing Sam directly. "You could have stopped him! He asked you for advice, and you could have just told him to do the right thing!"

"I can't tell John what the right thing is, Six," Sam says calmly. "It was his decision to make."

"I'm sorry, Six," I say, trying to calm her, "but I love Sarah. And I have to follow my he—"

I'm cut off by a massive boom of thunder that shakes the entire playground. The metal chains holding the swings up snap, leaving the seats to tumble to the ground.

"Don't you dare talk to me about love," Six says, storming up to me until she's right in my face. I back away even further, clutching Sarah's hand. "Because you have no idea. No idea how- how…" she turns suddenly on her heel and walks away, and I can hear her sobbing. Sam offers her his shoulder, but she ignores him. "Don't you care?" she asks. "Don't you care about the people whose lives hang in the balance? The people who may die in this war because you're so goddamn selfish? Don't you even care about me?"

I turn my back on her and start to walk away with Sarah. I can't look at Six. Not the way she is now.

"Fine then," Six says. "See if I care. Sam and me will be fine by ourselves."

"Um… actually, Six," Sam begins, looking incredibly nervous, "I promised John that I'd stay with him whatever choice he made. Even… even if he chose Sarah."

He backs away quickly after finishing, evidently worried that Six will hurt him.

"Oh, that's just perfect, isn't it?" Six says. "You too, then. That's okay. Don't worry about me, Sam. I'll be just.. just… You know what? I don't even care anymore. Come here, Sam."

Sam looks at her warily, but approaches nevertheless. To my surprise, she reaches out and hugs him, leaning in to whisper something in his ear. With my enhanced senses, I can just make it out. She said: "Keep him safe. From the Mogs, and from her."

Sam gives her a nod when they break apart, and then walks slowly over to Sarah and me. He looks back at Six once, and I can tell it's killing him to leave her.

"I hope you're happy, Sarah," Six says loudly once Sam arrives. "You've won, now. Both of them. Have you thought of any other ways to make my life a living hell yet?"

Sarah huddles next to me, fear in her eyes. But despite that, she looks happy for the first time.

"I knew you'd come back, John," she says to me, ignoring Six. "I always knew you would."

Six, realizing she isn't going to get an answer, turns and walks away into the woods. I watch her until she disappears amongst the trees. I'll probably never see her again. Or any of the other Garde, for that matter. That's what I gave up, when I said Sarah's name a couple of minutes ago.

But I have Sarah, and she's all I've wanted these last few months. So why do I feel so empty inside?

* * *

"…Six."

Of course I chose Six. I had to choose Six- it was the only choice I could make. I might have loved Sarah, but as much as she means to me, no one person can come before our mission. Six was right about that. And since Sarah forced me to choose between the mission and her… well, if she's that selfish then maybe I'm better off without her.

"Betrayer!" Sarah hisses. She walks right up to me and spits in my face. "You said you'd never leave me, you liar!"

Then suddenly Six is beside me, her hand on my shoulder, staring Sarah down.

"You can leave now, Sarah," she says. "He's made his choice."

Sarah holds her ground. "There's no way you're going to get away with this, you selfish bi—"

Six's mood changes instantly. She delivers a mid-word punch to Sarah's jaw, knocking her flat on her back. I involuntarily gasp in shock. I… can't believe Six just did that.

"Don't you dare," she growls. "You're lucky I don't believe in killing 'innocent' people."

"Six!" Sam says. "Don't hurt her."

He rushes over to Sarah's side, helping her up. She has a massive bruise on the left side of her face that she rubs tenderly. She steps towards Six like she's going to hit her back, but thankfully Sam has the wherewithal to hold her back. I do the same for Six.

"Let go of me!" Six says, trying to squirm out of my grasp.

"Not until you calm down," I say. "And apologize to Sarah for hitting her."

"She should be the one apologizing to me!" Six insists. "She jeopardized our entire mission by trying to lure you back to her."

"I know, Six," I say. "But she didn't succeed, so don't worry about it now. And it's not fair for you to be fighting her. She's not Loric like you are."

"Fine," Six concedes. "I just want to get out of this place anyway."

"Sorry I punched you," she says to Sarah. "But you deserved it," she mutters, only loud enough for me to hear.

"That's good enough," I say, releasing her.

"Now it's your turn," Sam says to Sarah. "Six didn't deserve to be called what you… well, what you were in the middle of calling her."

Sarah rolls her eyes. "My sincerest apologies," she hisses, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "The noun I was using to describe you was utterly inaccurate and completely without cause and I am dreadfully sorry for any and all—"

"Oh just shut up already," Six says. "I get it- you're not sorry."

I gesture to Sam, and he releases Sarah, who huffs gratefully.

"Come on, John," Six says. "We should really be going."

There's still one thing I have to do before I leave.

"Could you just give me a minute with…" I gesture towards Sarah, who's sitting on a bench, slumped over defeatedly.

Six nods. "I understand," she says. "Me and Sam will just be over here. But John- please try to make it quick. We don't have much time."

She and Sam walk over to the other side of the park, leaving me to go sit next to Sarah. Her eyes are brimming with tears, and she refuses to look at me once I sit down.

"I really am sorry, Sarah," I say. "I didn't mean, ever, to hurt your feelings, but the mission comes first. If it's between you and Lorien, my planet has to come first. I hope you understand."

The words sound incredibly heartless coming out of my mouth, but there's not much I can do about it. I meant what I said.

Sarah sighs. "I… I think I can try to understand. But- John, why does it have to be with her?"

"Because she's Loric," I say. "She's like me. We're from the same planet. The same planet we're trying to save, and that means it has to be with her. Because nobody else could truly be able to help me with what I need to do."

Sarah sniffles, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She's still beautiful, even with the tears rushing from her eyes, the bruise on her cheek, the dirt on her back from when Six knocked her to the ground.

"Do… do you still love me?"

"Yes," I say. "I do."

But as the words leave my mouth, I find myself wondering at their truth. The way I've been feeling about Six lately, it's been making me wonder- is it possible Henri had it wrong? Is it possible for the Loric to be like humans; to be able to love more than once? And the more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that maybe a Garde and a human can never truly experience love together, because they simple weren't meant to be. No matter how wonderful, and compassionate, and beautiful the human is. Even if the human's Sarah.

But I say yes anyways. Because there's no point in telling Sarah the truth, in sullying her last memories of me with even more grief and pain than exists already.

I lean forward and kiss Sarah on the cheek.

"Be happy, okay?" I say. "Just… forget about me for now. Because- well, I might not see you again. I might not survive this war. And even if I do, I wouldn't want to endanger you."

I know I'll never see Sarah again. I know that. Because no matter what happens, I don't think I could stand seeing her again, knowing that things could never work between us.

"You should go now, John," Sarah says. "You've got a war to fight. And I'll be thinking about you. Praying that you'll win, and save us all."

"Thanks, Sarah," I say, getting up from the bench. "It means a lot to me, knowing that you're always supporting me."

"I'll see you, John," Sarah says.

"And I'll see you too."

More lies. But it's worth it, if she'll be happier that way.

I walk slowly towards the area where Sam and Six are waiting.

"Ready?" Six asks once I arrive.

"Ready," I say.

We start to walk into the woods, away from the only love I've ever known. I don't look back. Even once.


	3. Room and Board

**A/N: Sorry, I know it's been a while. But I'm back, so that's got to count for something, right? The parallels continue here, and I hope you guys like where this is going. (hint hint- feel free to let me know with a you-know-what). Enjoy.  
**

The three of us are walking towards Sarah's house, which is just a couple of blocks down the street.

"I hate to bring this up," Sam says as we pass a woman walking her dog, "but you do realize that John is still wanted by police, right?"

Sarah nods. "Of course I know."

"So where is John going to stay, then? I can't imagine your parents being happy about harboring somebody the police are calling a terrorist."

Sarah's phone buzzes, and she pulls it out, quickly tapping out a message. I know I shouldn't look, but my curiosity gets the better of me.

Her message reads: 'He isn't here.'

It seems odd- who's the he involved- but I let it go. I shouldn't have looked at it in the first place.

"We'll think of something," Sarah finally says in response to Sam's question. "I'm sure my parents will understand."

Next to me, Sam rolls his eyes, but remains silent. Clearly he doesn't think Sarah's parents will.

We arrive on their doorstep a few minutes later. Sarah's house still looks exactly as I remember it from back when I still lived in Paradise, and for a fleeting moment I manage to convince myself that nothing has changed since then. That Henri will still be waiting for me at our house, that I'm not considered a terrorist by the U.S. government, that all I know about Six is that she's somewhere on this planet. But I can't. Because all of those things have changed in the last few months- some for the better, but most for the worse.

Sarah knocks on the door, a quick series of soft taps. The door is opened a few seconds later by a short, stocky blond kid who must be one of Sarah's brothers.

"It's just Sarah," he yells over his shoulder to somebody out of sight, before turning his attention to us.

"So now it's two of them, is it, Sarah?" he asks, running calculating eyes over me and Sam. "You giving them a group rate?"

"Shut up, Tyler," Sarah says, rolling her eyes. She motions for us to enter, and Tyler begrudgingly moves out of our way.

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" Tyler asks me suddenly as I pass by him. "I feel like I've seen you before."

"I don't think so," I say, edging past him and into the kitchen, where Sarah and Sam are waiting.

"I remember now!" he says from behind me, and for a horrible second I fear that he recognizes me from all the pictures the police have shown of me on TV. "You used to date my big sis, didn't you? And then you ran off and left her heart-broken. She didn't come out of her room for weeks, thanks to you."

I frown. "I don't remember you," I say. "So how do you remember my face?"

His ears turn red and he dashes off upstairs. He moves surprisingly quickly for a kid his size.

With him out of the way I head into the kitchen, where tempers already appear to be running high.

"—innocent!" Sarah says. "He didn't do any of those horrible things that the police say he did. Why can't you believe me for once? He's not a terrorist!"

Sarah's parents are both there, and her father is about to respond when he catches sight of me. I've seen the distrustful look in his eye many times before- in fact, it's the exact same look that Mark James gave me the first time he saw me talking with Sarah. But that doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

"You're John, I presume," he says.

I don't respond.

"I hope you'll understand why we're not exactly rolling out the welcome mat for you and Sam. Actually, I'm going to have to ask you two to leave."

"Dad!" Sarah exclaims, furious. "Why can you not listen to me? They're innocent and being unjustly persecuted for crimes they didn't commit! Doesn't my word count for anything?"

"It's not a matter of whether or not I believe you. The fact is, the government is searching for you, with warrants for your arrests. And if we were to harbour you, we would become accomplices. As it is, you're lucky we're not calling the police right now. But we will if you don't leave our property immediately."

Great. Just great. "It's fine," I say, trying not to let my anger sound. "Me and Sam will go now."

We start to walk back towards the front door. "Now what?" I ask Sam as we walk down the driveway.

"Do you think we could track Six down? She'll be pissed at us, but at least she kn—"

A car rockets down the driveway, missing us by no more than a foot. It squeals to a stop at the edge of the road, and I get a good look at the driver. It's Sarah.

"What are you doing?" I ask her incredulously.

"Get in!" she says. "They'll be out here any second."

I run around to the other side of the car and jump in- Sam ends up in the back. I don't really want to know what happened in the Hart house after we left, but I get the feeling that none of us will be going back there again soon.

"So where are we headed now?" I ask Sarah as she guns the engine, steering onto a main road.

"Mark's," she grunts, not taking her eyes off of the road. "He owes me a- well, a favour. He'll let us stay for the night."

* * *

The three of us trek through the words, heading away from Paradise at a fast clip. We'd be moving even faster if not for my Chest, which slows me down significantly. I'm glad I have it and all that, but it's a major pain to carry from place to place. I wish there was some way to shrink it down enough so that it would fit in my pocket- that would make this so much easier. Although, for all I know about the actual stuff in my Chest, something in there might do just that- some kind of ray gun, maybe. I smile as I wonder what Sam would think of that. But the smile fades from my face as the whole reality of what we're doing sinks in. I'd just been thinking about Sarah earlier, when I made my choice, and I figured that I'd be fine without her. After all, before today I hadn't seen her for months, and I've been just fine. But being back here today, seeing Paradise again- well, the place really is paradise. Of all the places me and Henri had stayed over the years, we stayed in Paradise the longest, and for good reason, too. It was the only place that has ever really felt like home to me. It's felt like much what I imagine Lorien must have felt like, if only I was old enough to remember. I try to console myself with the fact that by leaving Paradise I'm taking a step towards my true home- Lorien- but cold logic can't shake the miserable feeling in my gut.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Six asks suddenly as we enter a clearing and step up our pace.

"Just thinking about Lorien," I say briskly.

"Good," Six says, and I wonder why she thinks that. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask you- have you seen Bernie Kosar anywhere recently? He helped me fight off the Mogs who were after your Chest, and then he just disappeared."

I nod knowingly. "He does that sometimes. He says it's his animal instincts or something- he'll catch up with us eventually."

The sun continues to dip below the horizon as we hike, its reddish glow bathing the area in an unnatural light. It's another ten minutes before we finally exit the forest, and we end up, of all places, in what seems to be a generic suburban neighborhood. We emerge directly on some person's front yard, much to the surprise of a group of passing joggers.

"Where the hell are we?" I ask, looking around at the rows of identical houses surrounding us. "I had no clue this place was connected to the forest."

"I think we're in Danten," Sam says, seemingly familiar with our surroundings. "Yea- this is definitely Danten- I had a friend a couple of years ago who lived in here."

"Great," Six says. "Two questions then. First off, how far is this place from Paradise?"

"I'm not sure exactly," Sam says, "but at least a half-hour's drive."

"Good enough," Six says, "considering how late it is already. Which brings me to my second question: do you know any place around here where we can spend the night?"

I've never seen this place before, so I certainly have no clue. Sam, however, does.

"If Thurman still lives here he'd probably take us in. Assuming he recognizes me, of course."

'_Thurman_?' I mouth to Six, who shrugs.

"Works for me," I say.

Six doesn't argue, so Sam starts to lead us down the street, a turn onto a side street, and then stops in front of number 113. In true suburban fashion, it's only the number that distinguishes it from its neighbors. Sam knocks firmly on the door, and we wait. And wait. And wait some more. I run my fingers around the doorframe, looking fruitlessly for a doorbell. Sam knocks again. No answer. Six walks over to the nearest window and peers through the slats.

"Either they're not home or they're planning a surprise party," she says, walking back over to us. She glares at the lock on the door and it clicks meekly, causing the door to swing open. I cringe, but thankfully no alarm sounds. It was probably too scared of what Six would do to it if it did. "And if it's the latter, we won't be the only ones who're surprised."

I carefully walk though the doorway and into the main foyer. I flick the nearest light switch, which turns on a large crystal chandelier overhead.

"I'm pretty sure it's not a surprise party," I say, looking around the messy but deserted house.

"I so do not like this," Sam mutters. "What are we even doing here anyway? They could come back any moment."

"We're not going to stay long enough for them to find us," Six says. "And as for why we're here, where's the kitchen?"

"You've got to be kidding me," Sam groans, turning away.

"I think I saw it through there," I say, pointing to my left.

"Great. Could you give me a hand?"

I follow Six into the kitchen, silently fuming. Choosing Six over Sarah is just working out _so _well. We're rummaging through some person's kitchen for food, we don't have a place to spend the night, and I'll probably never see the love- well, the ex-love of my life again. But I have to admit, there are some perks. Like trying very hard not to stare at Six's back as she opens up the fridge.

'Knock it off,' I admonish myself silently. 'Let poor Sam have her.'

But I don't think I can.

Six bends down to grab something from the bottom shelf and my resolve fails completely. But I don't care.

"You know, I wouldn't have asked for your help if I didn't actually need it," Six says.

"Sorry," I say, getting my brain out of the proverbial gutter. "What do you want me to do?"

"Look through the cupboards for non-perishables. There's not much in the fridge, and we'll have to leave tomorrow anyway."

"What do you mean tomorrow?" I ask. "They'll be back here within an hour, most likely."

Six shakes her head. "We lucked out," she says, gesturing to the front of the fridge. "They're on vacation- won't come back until tomorrow."

Sure enough, the calendar on the front of the fridge has a big line through today's date and most of last week, with the words 'In Florida' written just above.

She turns to face me, closing the fridge, and I raise a questioning eyebrow.

"It's a good thing that worked out," I say. "What would we have done if they weren't away?"

Six stares me down. "Don't start questioning my decisions."

And then she leaves, leaving me to stare emptily at the spot she no longer occupies.


	4. Second Thoughts

**A/N: Ugh. It has been an obscenely long time since I've updated, and I apologize profusely. My life has just been nuts lately, between mountains of homework, and illnesses, and just a general lack of writing time, but I digress. I am finally back, and I promise it won't ever be this long again. As usual, the first half of this chapter is the Sarah timeline and the second half is Six. Enjoy.**

After about five minutes it becomes apparent that we're going the wrong way.

"Are you sure this is the way to Mark's house?" I ask Sarah.

"It is now," she says. "He moved out after he graduated."

"Isn't he going to college?"

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I thought that by the time I left Paradise Mark had finally gotten his act together. It's a shame he decided to go straight into the workforce.

"Eventually," Sarah says. "He's taking a gap year first. Says he needs some time away from his parents to sort some stuff out."

What sort of stuff does he need to work out that necessitates moving out? It seems odd, but I guess I shouldn't complain. We'll have a place to sleep tonight. Hopefully.

After about an hour we arrive at Mark's place. His apartment, actually- one of hundreds in a high-rise development. It's dark outside when Sarah parks, and there's a definite chill in the air that causes us to hustle quickly into the lobby. Once we get inside Sarah takes the lead, making a beeline for the elevator bank.

"Excuse me, miss," a stone-jawed security guard says, cutting Sarah off. "Could I see your resident's pass, please?"

Me and Sam increase our pace to catch up to her. The security guard eyes us suspiciously, but I ignore him.

"I'm on the guest list for unit 715. Sarah Hart."

The security guard turns his back on us, touching a hand to his earpiece. He mutters something into his mike, and doesn't seem to like the answer he gets. He returns with a grim expression on his face.

"I've just spoken with the resident of unit 715. You," he says, pointing to Sarah, "are on the list- in fact you are the list. Which brings to bear the question of who you too gentlemen are."

I glance anxiously at Sam, who appears to share my anxiety. But Sarah remains calm.

"Just tell Mark that John and Sam are with me. I'm sure it won't be a problem."

The guard relays this message, and after a tense moment waves us through into a waiting elevator. Sarah reaches to tap the '7' button, and the doors slide closed. The ride up is silent, giving me a chance to think.

Sarah seems pretty convinced that whatever favour Mark owes her will be enough for him to let us stay for the night even though we're wanted terrorists. I'm slightly less certain, for understandable reasons. If the government found out that Mark was harbouring us, he would be considered an accomplice to our horrific crimes. My consciences screams for me to turn around, walk out the door, and find somewhere to stay where my presence doesn't endanger people. But I'm Loric- wherever I go, I'll be hunted. And besides, it's not likely that the Feds will find out where we are.

The elevator comes to a rest with a ping. Floor 7. We walk along the neatly carpeted hallway until we get to the door with '715' on it. Sarah knocks: a short rap, followed by three long ones and then two quick knuckle taps. The door is opened almost immediately by the familiar face of Mark James. I have to say, he's looking good. He's wearing khaki shorts with a white, short-sleeved top that shows off just how much he's been working out.

"Good to see you guys again," he says. "It's been a while, dudes."

"Nice to see you too, Mark," I say, extending my hand, which he shakes firmly.

"So what can I do for you?" he asks.

"We were hoping that you would be able to take us in for the night," Sam says, getting right to the chase. "We've burned a couple of bridges, and we don't have many options."

I hold my breath, crossing my fingers behind my back.

"Of course you guys can stay!" Mark says graciously, stepping aside to let us through. "After all you guys have done for me it's the least I can do in return. This place really isn't meant for four, but I'm sure we'll find room."

Really not meant for four is one way of putting it. The entire apartment consists of just two rooms- a decent-sized living area, and a small kitchenette that's attached to it, with a small dining table. There's no sign of a bed anywhere, so I assume that the sofa folds out to become one. Besides the sofa and the dining table and chairs, the only other furniture is an upholstered recliner that faces the TV.

"So can I get you guys anything to eat?" Mark asks in a hostly manner. "I'm pretty sure I've got some Kraft Dinner around here somewhere."

"Er… no thanks," I say, trying not to sound impolite. "I'm really tired- I just need to sleep."

I finger the pendant around my neck as I speak- I'm actually pretty hungry, but from what Six told me about her imprisonment, it's magic should sustain me. Of course, I'd prefer to have a good dinner, but I just can't stand Kraft Dinner. When Henri and me first arrived on Earth, it was what we ate pretty much all the time. Henri said that we didn't know how long we'd be on Earth, so we should save our gemstones for important things like equipment for training and fake IDs. After a while, though, he figured that, really, we could both die any day, so we might as well eat, drink and be merry. But any taste for the stuff I might have otherwise had vanished- eating anything that often would have soured my appetite for it.

Sam and Sarah have no magical pendant, however, so they accept Mark's offer, sending him scurrying to the pantry. As their dinner cooks I walk over to the recliner, sitting down and pulling out my Chest. Its mercurial lock glints mockingly, as if taunting me with how little I know about what it guards. I place my hand on it and it melts away, like it always does. I reach out to open it, but end up stopping myself.

My Chest reminds me of Six. It was the last thing she ever did for me- rescue it from a pack of Mogs after they stole it from me in Paradise. And how did I repay her? Her final words before I turned my back on her ring through my ears, haunting me. I force myself to block the memory out, but I still leave the Chest unopened. The fires of my conscience don't need any more fuel.

Lively conversation streams from the other side of the apartment- abound with laughter, and no doubt a healthy nostalgia for the good old days in Paradise. I feel strangely separate from it. I'm not one of them. They can rest easy at night, secure in the fact that they'll wake up tomorrow. Not me- I may have distanced myself from Six, but that won't stop the Mogs from coming after me.

Further thoughts about my future spring unbidden into my head. Am I still one of the Nine, part of their noble mission? Can I still fight for Lorien just as nobly as I did before, but with Sarah at my side instead of Six? Or has my choice dashed that part of my life against the rocks permanently? If they win without me, will their children grow up hearing stories about the deserter, the one who left them to risk their lives alone, all for the heart of a human girl?

I don't know. I really don't.

Footsteps approach me, shoes clicking lightly on the ceramic floor. I know it's Sarah before I look up.

"Hey," I say half-heartedly. "How was dinner?"

"Not bad, actually," she says. "Are you sure you don't want any?"

"I'm fine," I say. "Really- I'm not hungry."

She frowns at me. "You need to eat something," she says. "To keep your strength up, if nothing else."

I close my eyes. I don't think I could eat Kraft Dinner even if I wanted to- not with the way I'm sick to my stomach with guilt.

"I'm Loric, Sarah," I say. "I don't think keeping my strength up will be a problem."

She is silent, but I can tell from her breathing that she hasn't moved from my side. I don't speak either. We stay there for a moment, and in the silence, with my eyes closed, it feels like the whole world has stopped moving. Then Sarah speaks, breaking the spell.

"Tough day, huh?" she says.

I crack one eye open, and then the other.

"Tell me about it," I say agreeably.

"Don't worry," she says. "Tomorrow will be better, right?"

With that she leans down and kisses me- just a quick peck on the lips. Then she's gone.

I close my eyes again, as exhausted as I've claimed. I start to relax for the first time today- not just physically, but emotionally as well. The feelings I've been suppressing all day- feelings of longing, begin to flood over me. But despite the taste of Sarah's lips still fresh on mine, my pining is for the girl with striking hazel eyes. The girl with charcoal-black hair and a determined glare on her infatuatingly Loric face. The girl whom I erased from my life forever.

* * *

I walk hesitantly from the kitchen to the dining room, holding a stack of canned food in one hand and a can opener in the other. I plop them both down on the table where Sam and Six sit, taking a seat myself.

"So who's hungry?" I ask, maybe a little too enthusiastically.

"I know I am," Sam says just as excitedly, reaching to grab a can of salmon and prying it open with the opener.

He passes it to me when he's done- I grab a can of something pretty much at random- I'm not all that hungry. As soon as I'm done with the opener Six grabs it from my hand telekinetically and hacks into whatever it is she's eating.

We don't have cutlery, but that isn't stopping Sam, who wolfs his salmon down in record speed. By the time I've taken my first bite he's reaching for seconds.

It's a quiet dinner, despite Sam's best efforts. He tries to engage both Six and me in conversation several times, but both of us are preoccupied. I have no clue what Six is so engaged with, but my thoughts are of her. It's funny, because it seems almost as if she's changed since earlier today, when I made my decision. You'd have thought that she'd be grateful that I gave up Sarah for the mission, but instead she seems on edge and snappish. It's like she's expecting a Mog attack any minute now, and thinks that being happy will let down her guard.

At least Sam's enjoying himself, I guess. He's on to his third tin of food now, and he keeps stealing glances at Six. As much as I'm grateful for the fact that he would have supported me either way, I can't help but think that this was the decision he wanted me to make, for obvious reasons.

Six places her empty can on the table with a loud clank, startling me.

"Time for bed," she says matter-of-factly, even though I'm still eating, and it's only nine o'clock.

I almost open my mouth to say something, but decide against it- if I were to dare question her decisions again she'd probably slug me. Or give me a highly disapproving look, anyway.

I shovel the rest of my food down my mouth, grateful that Garde don't get indigestion. Sam looks very much like he wants to continue eating, but he doesn't say a word. I hurriedly clear the cans with my telekinesis, keeping hold of the ones we didn't get to. When I turn back to look at Six I find she's already gone, presumably upstairs.

"Am I the only one who feels like our little adventure has just gained a chaperone?" I ask Sam semi-sarcastically as we walk up the stairs.

He frowns. "She does seem a little odd, doesn't she? Probably just anxious about something or other."

"That's what I figured," I say.

When we get upstairs it turns out that Six has already claimed the one and only bedroom in the house, leaving Sam the couch back downstairs, and me the nearby floor. We make the trek back down, frustrated, and crash onto our respective areas.

"That was one hell of a day," Sam says, hands behind his head, propping it up as he lounges on the sofa.

"You're telling me," I say. "You weren't the one who had to pick between the two most important girls in your life."

Sam shrugs. "True. I sure didn't envy you having to break Sarah's heart like that."

"My heart too," I say quietly.

"Like I said, I don't envy you."

We don't speak again for a while. I lie, eyes open, on the cold, hard floor for a while, but my mind is buzzing too much for me to sleep. Sarah's face dances before my eyes and her words slam me in my gut.

"_Betrayer! You said you'd never leave me, you liar!"_

The lies I told her seem so transparent now, serving only the purpose of making me feel better about leaving her. As I relive that moment where I utter Six's name and sealed me fate, I wonder if it was the right choice. Look what picking her has gotten me; a cold floor to sleep on and an equally icy Six. If I could go back and pick again, would I still stand by my decision? All that stuff I said about the mission and all that sounded noble, but lying here, knowing that I could be with Sarah right now if I hadn't been so selfless, it's easy to second-guess myself.

I roll over and pull out my phone, its glare nearly blinding my dilated pupils. I open my pathetically short contacts list and select Sarah's number. It's one of exactly three on the list- the other two are Sam and Henri. I stare for a moment at the number like I used to do back before we met up in Paradise, but so much has changed since then. If I called her now and she heard my voice it wouldn't be good for either of us. We may have parted on semi-decent terms, but I doubt she wants anything more to do with me.

"That's not going to help, you know," Sam says suddenly, surprising me.

"I thought you were asleep," I say.

"It's kind of hard to stay asleep when somebody's got their phone on full brightness," he says pointedly.

"Sorry," I say, stowing my phone safely away. "And what's not going to help?"

"Pining over her like that. The more you think about her, and how great things used to be between you two, the harder it'll become to move on. You've made your choice, and there's no backing out of it. Not to mention that Six would slit your throat if you did."

"I know," I say, "but it's hard not to wish for the good old days."

"Nostalgia is overrated. Look," Sam says, "if it makes any difference to you, I think you made the right decision. You looked past your immediate desires to the big picture, and made a rational choice. You used your brain instead of your heart. It's natural to wish you could have your choice back, but the fact of the matter is you can't. The grass is always greener, anyway- if you were with Sarah right now you'd probably be lying awake at night and cursing yourself for abandoning the whole purpose of your life."

"Yea- I guess."

I don't know what would be running through my head right now if I were with Sarah, so I suppose I can't assume I'd be any happier with her. Girls are funny sometimes- Six will probably brighten up tomorrow, and we'll be on the run again, having a good time.

I close my eyes again, significantly more relaxed than a few minutes ago. Sleep sweeps me off of my feet, and any worries that might have been on my mind vanish.


End file.
